Means for identifying vehicles.



a. ZIMMERMANN;

I 19, 1,911 1,247,061. V Patented Nov. 20, 1917.

" INVENTQR. GEORGE Z/MMEFIM/INN RNEY6 HIS ATTO UNIT ED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

. GEORGE ZIMMERMANN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

MEANS FOR IDENTIFYING VEHICLES.

Patented Nov. 20, 191 '7.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 29, 1917. Serial No. 145,105.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city and county of San Fran-.

' going, will be set forth at length in the-following description, whereI shall outline in full that form of the invention which I have selectedfor illustration in the drawings accompany-ing and forming part of thepres- .ent specification. In the drawings I have shown one specific formof the invention, but it is to be understood that modifications withinthe scope of the succeeding claims, ma be made.

When a motor vehicle is in an accident, the wind shield or the headlight lenses or other frangible portion of the vehicle. is usuallybroken and the b okenpartsfall to the street or roadway. When thevehicle does" not stop after the accident or has not been identified atthe time of the 'accident, the

police authorities have no clue to the identity of the veh cle exceptthe broken pieces of glass left behind, and very often these pieces ..ofglass are of no advantage in tracing the veh cle or in ident fying Inaccordance with my inven ion I place identifying marks on the frangibleportions of the vehicle, which are likely to be broken in an accident,

such as the head light lenses or wind shield. Broken pieces of thesefrangible elements picked. up on the street or roadway after theaccident will bear the identifying marks and the vehicle, and itsownership can be readily traced. In the accompanyingdrawings,

Figure 1 is an elevation of'an automobile which plurality of thesestamps, each bearing the head light lens 4 or the wind shield having theidentifying means of my nvention thereon.

F ig. 2 is an elevation of a head light lens sim larly equipped.

Fig. 3 is an .elevation of one form of identifying means.

The identifying means of my invention comprises, preferably, a small tagor stamp 2, made ofpaper, celluloid or other material, bears anidentifying number 3. A

same number, are securely attached to frangible portions of the'vehicle,such as the wind shield 5, or both. The majority of States now registermotor vehicles and issue license numbers,

which are carried on the vehicle, and the number on the stamps ispreferably the same as the license number, so that the identity of thevehicle may be quickly determined from the State registration lists.These lists contain the name and address'of the owner of each registeredvehicle. preferably contain .the name of the State in -.'which the lcense number is issued and the year of registration. I

Instead of using stamps which are secured to the glass, the data on thestamp may be etched directly onto the glass and this method isparticularly advantageous in those States which'assign the same licensenumber to the same vehicle each year;

The small identification numbers are also of great value in tracing,finding and identifying stolen automobiles. particularly when thenumbers are etched into'the glass, since number plates.

I claim: 1. The combination with a motor vehicle having a frangibleelement thereon adapted to be broken in a head on collision of smallidentifying numbers disposed on said element whereby suchcollision willresult in fragm nts of said element bearing one of said identifyingnumbers.

2. The combination, with a'i'notor vehicle having a frangible elementarranged on the front thereof and adapted to be broken in an acc1dent,of a plurality of small numbers 100 The stamps also,

' they cannot be changed as readily as the corresgonding to theregistration number of of a plurality of stamps bearing identificathe veicle on said element. tion numbers attached to said wind shield 3. Thecombination with a motor vehicle and head light lenses. havin afrangible element thereon adapted In testimony whereof, I have hereuntoset 3 to be roken in an accident, of a plurality of my hand atsan'Franclsco, California, this glampshbilaaring numberscorlfe'spondintg1 to 18th day of January, 1917.

e ve 10 e re stratlon num er secure to w said element GEORGE ZIMMERMANN.

4. The combination with a. motor vehicle In presence of 10 having a.wind shield and head light lenses, H. G. Pnosr.

